Rhumbline Advisers Lowers Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 160,499 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,670 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.16% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $27,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 47.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 237 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 2.9 %

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $169.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.44, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.15. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.12 and a 1-year high of $214.39. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $172.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on JBHT. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.11.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total transaction of $1,100,820.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 82,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,092,976.08. This trade represents a 6.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction of $771,628.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. The trade was a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,545 shares of company stock worth $1,898,942. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.